The Donald Trump administration has said that the United States is “not at war” with Iran, even as the ongoing standoff in the Middle East continues to pressure global markets and drive oil prices to record highs. The remarks came as the legal deadline requiring congressional approval for military action draws near

Officials further indicated that a ceasefire with Iran effectively “pauses” this legal requirement for congressional authorisation.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday said the country is “not at war” with Iran. When  asked about the 60-day deadline, Johnson replied, “We are not at war.”

“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” Johnson told NBC News. 

“I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out,” he added. 

His remarks come as the ongoing conflict with Iran approaches the 60-day threshold mark set under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which mandates that the US president must withdraw military forces from conflict within 60 days if Congress does not authorise the operation within that period.

Johnson further said, “We’re policing the Strait of Hormuz and trying to get a peace. The president and the administration are moving as aggressively as possible. There’s nothing Congress can do to move that along any further, so we’ll see how it plays out. That is my position.”

The 1973 law also allows the president to seek a 30-day extension, though it remains unclear whether Donald Trump intends to exercise that option this week.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that he believes the ceasefire with Iran effectively “pauses” the 60-day timeline for securing congressional authorisation for war. 

“Ultimately, I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which, in our understanding, means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth said.

The war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States carried out joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, resulting in the deaths of Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military officials, and civilians. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Israel and US bases in neighbouring Gulf nations, and also blocked a key commercial shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

On March 2, Donald Trump informed Congress about the military operation against Iran, setting May 1 as the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Act, by which the administration must begin scaling down the conflict unless it secures congressional authorisation, according to media reports.